At home in China's museums

[Photo by Wang Kaihao/China Daily]

"New museums are being built by the day (in China)," Suay Aksoy, president of the International Council of Museums, who attended the expo at Chengdu, tells China Daily.

"Museums are working with good architects. It's remarkable to see so many Chinese museums cooperate for one exhibition, which is difficult in other countries.

"And it's a good thing that Chinese museums are developing apps and online exhibitions because it will attract and educate more people.

"Only when you see and handle the objects, can you really know about the past," he says of the physical importance of relics.

Nevertheless, some professionals fear that an overheating of the sector will lead to problems.

"Sometimes a big museum is built even before the outline of an exhibition is drafted, which will obviously lead to empty halls," says Wu Xi, a veteran exhibition designer for a studio affiliated to Tsinghua University in Beijing.

"There is still much to learn from Western museums in creating an attractive atmosphere for visitors.

"We'd better think twice about what is needed by visitors and what we can give before opening a museum."

Ai considers it equally important to improve visitors' behaviors to add to an exhibition's success.

"It's often seen that some people use camera flashes and selfie sticks in exhibitions, which greatly affects the viewing experiences of others."